Melons

We have melons at the McGatha Garden Co Op!!

We have not had very much luck growing melons thus far.

We had trouble with bugs and disease in years past.

So this is our first melon harvest and we are super excited!!

McGatha Garden Update- Day 87

Day 87

The BIG Tomate plant fell in a bad storm

I think this plant has more tomatoes on it than it did last week!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Recipe by OurBestBites.com

2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips



Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside.
Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.

Gently stir in the grated zucchini.

Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips (that will help keep them evenly distributed.) If you only have regular chocolate chips, or a chocolate bar, just give it a chop so it's the size of mini chocolate chips. Stir remaining flour mixture into batter and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Divide the batter between the two pans. and sprinkle topping over each.

Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. I set my timer for 45 minutes and then keep an eye on it for the remainder. Ya never know how different ovens handle things.

When it's done a toothpick or skewer should come out without goopy batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.

Let it cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove from pans. You definitely have to eat a slice warm. And slathered with butter.

What I am Reading

Safe & Ready Life

We visited the Safe and Ready Life Store in Milford, OH yesterday. We got some great emergency preparedness stuff and even more ideas for things we want to add to our supplies.

This Store has what you need to be prepared for most anything. They are an excellent source for emergency and disaster supply merchandise.

You can shop online or in store. The friendly, knowledgeable staff can help with product selection. They are even having a class this weekend on Cooking without power!

We highly recommend Safe and Ready Life.

Just click one of the links and check them out!

Linked to Homestead Revival Preparedness Challenge

McGatha Garden Update- Day 80

Look at all the tomatoes on this ONE plant!!

Click here to see more pics of the McGatha Garden

Backyard Garden- Mid July

The grapes are planted and growing!

Bed 1 and Bed 2

Both survived the straight line wind storm we had last week

It just pushed the peppers over a little.

We stacked them up to help support them.

Just in time for some storms tonight!

The tomatoes are growing tall!!

The blackberries are turning!

Cucumbers on the trellis



Linked to Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

What I am Reading

Free Salad

Fresh Express® salads washed in Fresh Rinse™ are ready to eat...not ready to wash.


We're giving away coupons so you can try them for FREE:
vocalpoint.com/FreshSavings


Fresh Express® has developed a breakthrough, eco-friendly produce wash called Fresh Rinse™ that is 7x more effective in cleaning salads than traditional chlorine wash,1 but is still gentle on lettuce.

A List of Edible Perennials

Perennial Foods


Want to enjoy home-grown food year after year without having to start your garden from scratch each spring? Then, it's time to discover the perennial food garden.

All of the following herbs, vegetables, fruits and legumes can be planted once and enjoyed for many seasons to come:



Perennial Herbs
Basil (African Blue, East Indian)
Chives
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Horseradish
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Mint
Onions (Potato onions, Shallots, Japanese bunching onions, Welsh onions)
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme



Perennial Vegetables
Artichoke (Jerusalem, also known as sunchokes)
Asparagus
Broccoli (Nine Star, Purple Cape)
Radicchio
Rhubarb
Spinach (Ceylon, Sissoo, New Zeland)
Sweet Potato
Water Cress
Yams



Perennial Fruits
Apples
Apricots
Avocado
Blackberries
Cherries
Currants
Fig
Goji Berries
Huckleberries
Grapes
Kiwi
Lemons
Limes
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Persimmon
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries (Ever-bearing varieties can be maintained as perennials in colder climates)

Perennial Legumes
Beans (Winged bean, Scarlet Runner)



Note: While all plants listed are perennials, they may not grow perennially in all locations. Check for compatability with your region before making a purchase.

From About.com